Prayer for Peace in the Middle East:

At the Occasion of Palestinian and Israeli Peace Gathering at the Initiative of Pope Francis

By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California

Muslim Delegation comprised of: Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Shakeel Syed, Maria Khani, Mohammed Abdul Aleem and Imam Jihad Turk.

May 6, 2014: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. All praise is for God, the Lord of the worlds and peace and blessings be upon all the Prophets and Messengers.

On behalf of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, its Member Mosques and organizations and the Muslims of Southern California, I want to extend our sincere thanks to the Holy Father of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, on his initiative for peace in the Holy Land. We pray for the success of peaceful dialogue and prayers at the Vatican this Sunday, June 8, 2014.

The common name of God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is Al-Salam, Peace. Peace is holy, war is not holy. It is God’s command that we all should live in peace and bestow justice to all people. All people deserve to live free from any occupation and all oppression.

We pray for peace among us, among Jews, Christians and Muslims living in the United States, in the Middle East and in every land. We pray for world peace, peace for all people. We pray to God to help us live with each other with compassion and kindness.  We pray to God to help us to follow the Golden Rule of our diverse faith traditions: ‘love for others what you love for yourselves.’

God says in the Qur’an:

“O people, We have created you all from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other.  Indeed the best of you in the sight of God are those who are the most pious among you. Indeed God knows all and He is well aware.”(49:13)

We pray to God to help us to know each other and not to discriminate against each other because of the differences of our races or religions.

•    God says in the Qur’an:

“You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives. Whether the person is rich or poor, God can best take care of both. Refrain from following your own desire, so that you can act justly – if you distort or neglect justice, God is fully aware of what you do.” (4:135)

“You who believe, be steadfast in your devotion to God and bear witness impartially: do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice, but adhere to justice, for that is closer to piety. Be mindful of God: God is well aware of all that you do. God has promised forgiveness and a rich reward to those who have faith and do good works.” (5:8-9)

God, we pray to you to forgive our negligence, our shortcomings and our sins of omission and commission. We pray to You, our Lord, to guide us and help us to treat each other with respect and honor. Protect us from harming any one, from doing injustice to any one, from exploiting any one.  God help us to remove the suffering of the people who are oppressed and to whom injustice is done in different parts of the world.

God says in the Qur’an:

“There is no compulsion in religion.  The truth stands out clear from falsehood….” (2:256)

We pray to God to help us live with religious freedom and protect the religious freedom of all people. Help us to speak to each other with respect, recognize the common things that we share with each other and help us to promote goodness and morality in our neighborhoods and around the world.

Lord! We pray to You to grant us peace. Grant peace and harmony to the people of the Middle East, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Lord! Help them to live in peace and harmony with each other. Grant them safety, security and prosperity. Help them resolve their disputes and differences in the ways that are most pleasing to You.

Lord! You are Peace and from You is peace. Glory be to You, Our Lord. You are the Most Exalted, the Lord of Majesty and Grace. There is no god, except One God without any partner. To Him belong the kingdoms and for Him is the praise. He has power over all things.

Lord! We pray to you to bless those who work for peace and grant to success to their efforts. We seek Your mercy and we seek Your Guidance. Ameen.

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